Union garment.



W. A. MEREDITH.

UNION GARMENT.

APPLIOATION 11.51) JUNE 5, 1 912.

5@ Fatented Mar. 80, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PAZFENT OFFIC.

WILLIAM A. MEREDITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

UNION GARMENT.

Application filed June 5, 1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVILLTAM A. MERE- DITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have i1 vented a certain new and useful Improvement in Union Garments, and declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

I he preferred form of union garment is that in which the crotch of the drawers is permanently closed, no dependence being placed upon buttons or other detachable fastenings at this point of greatest strain. In all garments of this kind heretofore made, as far as I am aware, the flaps at the back have been so positioned and secured that a straight pull comes from the neck to the crotch; causing the crotch to be drawn up during bending movements of the body; also bringing a strain upon the crotch if the upper portion of the garment happens to be a trifle short for the wearer, or if the arment should shrink; and thus producing discomfort to the wearer and decreasing the life of the garment. Furthermore, in union garments there has always been more or less stitching or even a sort of belt in the upper part of the garment where the upper ends of the flaps join it or where they are fastened. This interferes with the elasticity or flexibility of the garment at this point and therefore interferes with the set of the garment and makes it harder to secure a larger seat opening through which to thrust the buttocks. Or if there has not been pres ent the transverse stitching, belt or beltiike effect and the seat opening has been between flaps or between a flap and a part of the garment, the opening has had to be so long in the vertical direction that it always remained open more or less exposing the person of the wearer. There is another feature to be considered in union garments and that is to retain as far as possible the effect of an under shirt at the back when the flaps are open.

lvly invention relates to union garments and has for its object to overcome the defects and secure the advantages which I have just pointed out.

The various features of novelty whereby Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1915.

Serial No. 701,711.

my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but for a full understanding of my invention and of its object and advantages, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a rear view of a garment arranged in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with a portion of one of the flaps omitted.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents the shirt portion and 2 the leg portion of a union garment made of any suitable material. The crotch, 3, between the upper ends of the leg portion is made closed in any suitable way. At the back of the garment the shirt or upper portion terminates at some distance above the crotch, as indicated at The parts are so proportioned that when the wearer is seated the back of the shirt or upper portion hangs down in proximity to the surface on which the wearer is seated, thus covering the hips at the back even when the iiaps which I shall now describe, are open.

The opening at the back of the garment is closed by means of two flaps, 5, peculiarly arranged. Each flap extends above and below the lower edge, 4;, of the shirt or upper portion and is fastened to the garment along one edge, the outer, by a seam 6; each of these seams beginning at the top of the flaps near one side of the back of the shirt or upper part and extending lengthwise down the garment past one side of the crotch and terminating in one of the inside leg scams, 7, at some distance below the crotch. The flaps extend toward each other from opposite sides and overlap near the center, there being only a slight lap at the top and considerable in the seat. The two flaps are stitched together approximately at the base of the overlapping portion by a transverse row of stitching 8. At the top the two flaps are detachably fastened together by means of a button, 9, or other suitable device, but are not connected in any way to the shirt or upper part of the garment. The two flaps are preferably cut diagonally across the top as indi cated at 10, the outer upper corners being higher than the inner upper corners, and the upper edges are preferably stiffened with tape or in any other suitable way so as to cause the flaps to retain their shape. This shortening of the flaps along their meeting edges is made possible by reason of the apron-like effect of the shirt or upper portion of the garment at the back which makes it unnecessary for the flaps to extend very high at the center of the garment for the purpose of closing the seat opening. As a result, the distance between the button 9 and the seam 8 at the bottom of the flaps is small and therefore, because of the considerable overlap at the latter point, there is no opportunity for the flaps to spread apart between their ends and form a gap as in many old forms of garments.

It will thus be seen that in my improved garment there is no direct connection between the crotch and the central vertical panel extending down the back of the shirt or upper part from the neck. Consequently the wearer of the garment may sit down, bend or stoop without producing a pull between the neck and the crotch of the garment, and will not be troubled with a tightening of the garment at the crotch. Furthermore, there is no belt or belt-like effect at the top of the flaps; and therefore, be-

cause the latter are slmply wings secured at their outer edges to the sides of the garment, the garment retains about the waist and hips all the flexibility of an ordinary elastic shirt, being as comfortable as the latter, and permitting the seat opening to be expanded to a comparatively great size to permit the buttocks to be thrust entirely through it. Also, during the existence of .this latter condition, as well as at all other times, the tender portions of the back at the base of the spine is fully protected by the tail or apron-like end at the back of the shirt member, and, finally, I have produced a garment which cannot gap at the back.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details so illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which fall within the terms employed in the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A union garment having the upper part or shirt cut away to form an opening just above the crotch at a considerable distance below the waist, the lower portion of the shirt being continuous around the back and the sides, closing flaps overlying said opening and extending upwardly a considerable distance beyond the same, each flap being secured at the sides of said openingand along a line extending upwardly above the opening along the side of the shirt, and means for detachably fastening the adjacent edges of the flaps together independently of the remainder of the garment.

2. A union garment having the upper part'or shirt cutaway to forrn'an opening just above the crotch at a considerable distance below the waist, the lower portion of the shirt being continuous around the back and the sides, closing flaps overlying said opening and extending upwardly a considerable distance beyond the same, each flap being secured at the, sides of said opening and along a line extending upwardly above the opening along the side of the shirt, the inner edges of the flaps overlapping, the overlap being considerable at the lower edge of the seat opening and decreasing toward the upper ends of the flaps, means for permanently fastening thelower ends of the I overlapping flaps together, and means for detachably securing the upper corners of the flaps together independently of the remainder of the garment.

8. A union garment having the upper part or shirt cut away to form an opening just above the crotch at a considerable distance below the waist, the lower portion of the shirt being continuous around the back and the sides, closing flaps overlying said opening and extending upwardly a considerable distance beyond the same, each flap being secured at the sides of said opening and along a line extending upwardly above the opening along the side of the shirt, the inner edges of the flaps overlapping, the overlap being considerable at the lower edge of the seat opening and decreasing toward the upper ends of the flaps, the upper edges of the flaps being inclined downwardly at a sharp angle from the outer edges toward the inner edges, means for permanently fastening the lower ends of the overlapping portions of the flaps together, and means for detachably securing the upper overlapping corners of the flaps together independently of the remainder of the garment.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM A. MEREDITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for fivecents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

